Human rights groups are protesting that the South Korean government is stifling their criticism of North Korea, and even interfering with their operations, to prevent them from alienating the regime in Pyongyang as delicate negotiations continue.
An analysis of satellite imagery by watchdog group 38 North published on Tuesday concluded that “improvements to the infrastructure at North Korea’s Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center are continuing at a rapid pace,” even as North Korea ostensibly negotiates a denuclearization agreement.
Not only has North Korea canceled its annual month of anti-American rage this year (or at least toned it down quite a bit), but visitors tell reporters this week that America-bashing merchandise is disappearing from souvenir shops despite their status as perennial bestsellers.
North Korean propaganda sites and publications in South Korea have begun agitating against the complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of the communist Kim Jong-un regime. South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported Tuesday that one such outlet called any North Korean supporting denuclearization a “traitor.”
A senior defense official giving a background briefing to reporters on Sunday stated that the Trump administration will soon present North Korea with a “specific timeline” for denuclearization filled with “specific asks,” and will judge Pyongyang’s degree of “good faith” by how well the timeline is received.
South Korea’s Yonhap News reported on Friday that North Korea’s major international trade fair was bigger than ever this year, and Chinese companies made up 70 percent of the attendees, anticipating that China will move more quickly than any other country to remove economic sanctions if Pyongyang cooperates with denuclearization.
President Moon Jae-in gave the first-ever address to the Russian legislature by a South Korean leader on Thursday, asking Russia to become deeply involved in denuclearization, the peace process, and the future of a more stable Korean Peninsula.
According to a tour group based in Beijing, North Korea has decided to hold its “Mass Games” event for the first time in five years. The North Korean government has never explained why the games were halted in 2013 after a big show to commemorate the Korean War armistice, or why they are being relaunched now, but the obvious inference is that Pyongyang wishes to appear more open to the West and welcoming to tourists as diplomacy with the United States unfolds.
The United States and North Korea are scheduled to begin discussing the details of denuclearization this week. According to President Donald Trump, he will handle some of these discussions directly with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un by telephone.
The parents of Otto Warmbier, an American hostage who was killed by the regime in North Korea, are moving ahead with a lawsuit against the regime, according to a report from The Washington Post on Friday.
Vice President Mike Pence said on Thursday that another win for the United States is taking place because President Donald Trump’s negotiations with North Korea resulted in the communist regime agreeing to return 5,000 Americans who died in the Korean War.
A media mouthpiece for the North Korean regime operating in Japan asserted on Wednesday that Kim Jong-un’s full commitment to “denuclearization” does not mean he plans to give up his nuclear weapons and that it is fake news to claim it does.
China’s Global Times on Thursday took a break from giving China all the credit for the diplomatic breakthrough with North Korea to ensure Japan does not get any. “Japan was a participant in the Six-Party Talks, and is now just a bystander,” the Chinese paper teased.
The United States must remain vigilant against the ongoing threat posed by North Korea’s nuclear activities despite Kim Jong-un’s pledge to take steps towards “complete denuclearization,” the nominee to serve as the American ambassador in South Korea told lawmakers during his confirmation hearing on Thursday.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is considering his own summit meeting with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un following Kim’s Singapore summit with U.S. President Donald Trump.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced at a press conference with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing on Thursday that China will maintain sanctions against North Korea “until such time as denuclearization is, in fact, complete.”
North Korean media unsurprisingly declared the Singapore summit a huge victory for dictator Kim Jong-un on Wednesday, announcing that all of Pyongyang’s demands have been met and U.S. sanctions will soon be lifted.
Through the twists and turns on the road to the improbable U.S.-North Korea summit, Tony Giannini, 70, never wavered in his faith that it would happen.
After his summit with dictator Kim Jong-un on Tuesday, President Trump indicated the North Koreans are dismantling another facility important to their development of nuclear missiles following the purported shutdown of the Punggye-ri nuclear bomb testing site. Analysts believe this was a reference to the missile engine testing site at Kusong, which appears to be undergoing demolition based on satellite imagery.
President Donald Trump praised North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un as a “funny guy” who “loves his people” on Tuesday after concluding his summit with Kim. Kim definitely has a funny way of demonstrating that love, because North Koreans are the most abused people on Earth, and that is definitely not an easy title to win.
News organizations across Asia responded to the Singapore summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un with a mixture of cynicism and guarded optimism on Tuesday.
President Donald Trump disputed reports that he had given too much to North Korea in order to meet with Kim Jong-un to start negotiations for denuclearization of the peninsula.
“Chairman Kim Jong Un reaffirmed his firm and unwavering commitment to complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.”
President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore held a lunch meeting on Monday at which Trump predicted “things can work out very nicely” during his summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.
South Korea’s Yonhap News reported on Friday that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is expected to arrive in Singapore on Sunday, two days before his scheduled meeting with President Donald Trump.
President Donald Trump is reportedly considering extending an invitation to North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un to visit his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida if nuclear disarmament talks in Singapore go well next week.
China’s state-run Global Times did its part to put Beijing at the table with President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un via an editorial Monday stating it is “essential” for China to be involved in any peace deal that officially ends the Korean War.
According to North Korean media, the Communist dictatorship submitted a formal request to the United Nations on May 30 asking for help with the repatriation of 13 women who defected from a restaurant in China in 2016. North Korea continues to resist returning a dozen Japanese citizens abducted in the 70s and 80s.
Three top North Korean military officials were removed from their posts just eight days ahead of the summit meeting between dictator Kim Jong-un and U.S. President Donald Trump. Analysts see the shakeup as an effort to demonstrate Kim’s mastery over hardline elements in his military and send a positive signal to the United States.
North Korea is continuing to carry out military drills despite ongoing peace negotiations with South Korea and the United States, according to a report Thursday from South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday to meet with his opposite number, North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. Lavrov also met with dictator Kim Jong-un and invited him to visit Moscow for a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
North Korean media reported on Wednesday that Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will “soon” visit Pyongyang for a meeting with North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho. The Russian Foreign Ministry subsequently announced that Lavrov would make the trip on Thursday, following up on an invitation Ri issued in early April.
According to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un remains fully committed to denuclearization, provided the United States supplies the necessary security guarantees. North Korean media, on the other hand, arrogantly declared on Monday that denuclearization will happen on Pyongyang’s “timetable,” no matter what “others may say and wherever wind may blow from.”
Japan expressed support for U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision this week to cancel the planned summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, pledging that Tokyo intends to keep up pressure on the rogue regime over its nuclear and missiles programs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blasted President Donald Trump on Thursday for canceling his June 12 summit with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, insisting that Kim “did everything he promised in advance.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-in encouraged U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un on Friday to speak directly and resolve the diplomatic standoff that culminated with President Trump’s canceling his June 12 summit with Kim.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told Breitbart News on Thursday night that if North Korea is serious in its response to President Donald Trump canceling their summit, then the White House looks forward to hearing from the highest levels of the North Korean government.
Even as journalists trudge toward North Korea’s much-touted decommissioning of the nuclear weapons test site at Punggye-ri, nuclear weapons experts are worried the regime is using the media event to bank unearned international credibility while it destroys evidence of its illicit weapons research.
An editorial in North Korea’s state-run Rodong Sinmun on Tuesday blasted human rights complaints by the United States as a “red herring” and “trite trick” to delegitimize the noble regime of Kim Jong-un.
North Korean media warned citizens this week to cherish their “independence” and “self-reliance” instead of seeking prosperity through trade with “imperialist” nations a few days after President Donald Trump promised North Korea would become “very rich” if it strikes a good denuclearization deal with the United States.
